Creating Me - Eremin

Chapter 12

a/n: sorry I'm a little late with this one! I've been working practically nonstop on this drawing for the past two days, so I didn't really have much time for this. this one isn't as short as the last one, but still not very long (sorry! I really wanted to give you guys a chapter tonight, so it's a lil short.). A longer one will come out either tomorrow or the day after! love you guys!

My eyes flicked open, sunlight colliding with my pupils. I squinted, pushing myself into a sitting position. I felt a familiar weight pulling down on my chest and sighed, refraining from looking down. I quickly got up, grabbed my binder, some underwear, a Tokyo Ghoul t-shirt, and some jeans, and hurried to the bathroom. Today was a Saturday, so I didn't have to worry about being late for school, but I still liked showering in the morning, as a sort of pick-me-up.

After my somewhat long shower, I dried myself off, then started putting on my clothes, starting with my binder. One tiny problem, though: when I slid my binder over my head, I heard a loud riiiiiip noise. Of course, my first thought was, Oh fuck no. I quickly pulled the cloth back over my head, and examined the damage. Unfortunately for me, basically an entire seam had ripped open, rendering the binder useless.

"Shit shit shit shit." I whispered to myself. I knew what I had to do, though. I couldn't tell Eren, I didn't want to be more of a bother than I already was, and I knew I'd brought it. I hurriedly pulled my shirt over my head, put my underwear and jeans on, and scampered into my room. I quickly dug through my dresser drawers to find what I was looking for. Finally, I found it; a long white strip of cloth that had the word "Ace" emblazoned on it in red. Ah yes, my trusty ace bandage, for emergency purposes only.

After a few minutes of struggling to wrap it correctly, I finally had it on. I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn't really have any other options. I adamantly refused to tell Eren or Mikasa; I didn't want them to spend any more time or money on me than they already were. I was enough of a burden anyway, no need to hand even more of my problems to them. I stuffed the broken binder into the bottom of one of my drawers, someplace that it wouldn't be found.

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It's been nearly a month since that day. My ribs are constantly aching, the large purple bruises refusing to fade. Even breathing has become difficult. Still, I refuse to tell Eren or Mikasa. I don't want them to worry about me. Right now, Eren and I are hanging out in my room, not really doing anything. We talk about random stuff, and every now and then we do some homework (although not very much- somehow, Eren keeps weaving in little make-out sessions into the mix, and we get distracted).

For some reason or another, Eren decides to go digging through my drawers. I'd nearly forgotten about the fact that I'd hidden my broken binder in there, and  in the moment, I'm so foggy-headed that it slips my mind completely. Until, of course, Eren turns around, the grey piece of fabric in his hand, looking concerned.

"Armin," He says gently, "isn't this your binder?"

My stomach drops to my toes and my heart crawls into my throat. "I-I," I stutter. My throat closes, and I bury my face in my hands as sobs start to wrack my body. "I'm sorry." I cry, uncountable tears slipping from my eyes. I feel a warm body wrap around mine, his arms enveloping my tiny frame. I take my hands from my head and throw them around his neck, my tears wetting his shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay." He says softly, yet sadly. I take a shuddering breath in as my sobs begin to slow, my body slowly relaxing. "Are you using... an ace?" Eren asks quietly. I nod into his shoulder, still breathing deeply. His arms smoothly move down to the hem of my shirt, lifting it up and over my head. He gazes at the white strip of cloth, wrapped tightly around my chest, purple bruises blossoming at the edges.

Eren moves himself so he can reach my back, and he slowly unwinds the bandage. I tense, pressing my arms over my chest. No matter how much I love him, or how close we are, I can't bear to have him see me with nothing covering my breasts. I can't even bring myself to look at them, much less have anyone else look at them.

But Eren, he somehow manages to get me to take my hands off of my chest, and unwraps the bandage completely. I look away as I feel my cheeks redden. I can't believe this is happening. Eren's gaze is not a hungry one, simply a concerned one. He looks up and sees my expression, only to wrap me in a tight hug.

"Armin, I love you for you. And that means all of you, no matter what. There's no need to be ashamed of what you have, or embarrassed. I love you all the same." Eren says softly to me, running his fingers through my hair. I feel tiny tears spring in the corners of my eyes.

"I love you too."

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Soon after that, we ordered me a new binder, which arrived just three days later. For those three days, Eren made me wear some of Mikasa's bras (which fit surprisingly well), and made sure to take the ace bandage and throw it away. But even though those three days were more uncomfortable than most (especially because two of them fell on school days, prompting Levi and his gang to pick on me even more for, "having my tits out" as they put it), I was grateful to Eren. If I'd gone for too much longer with that bandage, I probably would have cracked a rib, or started to damage things internally because of the constant bruising and rebruising. That boy was a blessing, and I loved him to the ends of the universe.

a/n: I hope you guys liked this chapter! a little short, I know, I know, but not nearly as bad as last time. also, never ever bind with an ace bandage! it's extremely painful and extremely extremely bad for your health! don't! do! it! anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this kinda fluffy/kinda angsty chapter. I love you all!